Audible signal producer



Aug. 13, 1935. E M. KELLEY 2,011,287

AUDIBLE SIGNAL PRODUCER Filed June 9, 1934 Patented Aug. 13, 1935 UNITED. STATES aren't OFFICE AUDHBLE SIGNAL FRODUCER Edward M. Kelley, Wilmington, Del., assignor of one-third to Saunders C. Dillon and one-third to Henry Walker, both of Wilmington, Del.

Application June 9, 1934, Serial No. 729,765

6 Claims. 35l4) The object of the invention is to provide an improvement in audible signal producersbroadly, but more particularly in devices adapted forthe signalling of and teaching the Morse, Continental, and similar telegraphic codes.

Aside from actual telegraphic instruments for use 'incommercial telegraphy, substantially the only devices simulating the same and adaptedfor the use of teachers, amateurs, Boy Scouts, and

the like, have been relatively expensive to make and operate, especially by reason of the fact that they have in at least nearly every'instance involved the use of electric batteries which have to be frequently renewed, more or less wiring,

and a construction consistent with the weight and general characteristics of such elements when operatively assembled.

7 Another object therefore is to provide a simple j and exceedingly inexpensive device for the manual production of audible telegraphic signals,

comprising a preferably hollow support possessing especially advantageous characteristicssuch as are hereinafter described, a resilient sound producing device preferably contained within said support, and a manually engageablemeans suitably carried by said supportand operative to actuate said sound producing device.

A further. and more limited object is to provide an article of this type, comprising a hollow box-like support, a so-called cricket or similar resilient device, designed to produce a staccato snapping sound and mounted within said support, and a manually engageable lever arm or equivalent element,,preferably simulating a wellknown type of telegraphic key, and resiliently carried by said support and cooperating withsaid cricket, whereby upon actuation of the lever the cricket gives oif its peculiar sound, which to all intents and purposes is identical with that of the usual electrically actuated telegraphic sounder or receiver.

With these and other objects in mind, the invention comprises further. details of construction and operation, which are hereinafter fully brought out, when read in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a device comprising one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line 33 of Fig. l.

Referring to the drawing, the type of support for the device here illustrated is shown as com- 5 prising a hollow box-like structure, in this case consisting of a lower section' having bottom, side and endwalls I, 2 and 3, respectively, and an upper or closure section whichin turn consists of top, side and end walls 4, 5, and 6, respectively.

Supported by the bottom of the lower closure is a so-called cricket or other suitable type of resilient sound-producing device, for simulating the sounds of a telegraphic receiver. For purposes of illustration, the device in this instance is shown 10 as comprising a base section 7, one end of which isprovided with an ahgularly deflected spur 8 or'the like, adapted to extend into, thru, or otherwise engage the bottom .wall i ofthe lower section of the said support, while the opposite end por- 15 tion of the base section of said device is firmly secured directly to said bottom wall by means of an eyelet, staple, tack, or other suitable securing means 9. Said cricket further comprises upwardly extending parallel wings ii), comprising 20- integral extensions of its said base section 7, the

uppermostportions of said wings being directed outwardly in opposite directions, and thence reversely inwardly to provide oppositely positioned supporting means H, for the laterally opposite 5 end portions of one end of a resilient member l2,

which extends in this case freely forwardly beyond the supports H, to provide a normally upwardly and yieldingly positioned tongue i3, adapted to be pressed downwardly into the dot- 3o arid-dash line position 54. As is well known, the

tongue of such a device upon being pressed downwardly, or when released to resume its normally upper position, or during both directions of movement, creates and emits a sharp staccato 35- snapping sound, which it is well known closely simulates the sound of well known types of electro-magnetic telegraph sounders or receivers.

Positioned above and in spaced relation with the upper exposed surface of the top wall 4 of 40 the upper section of said support is a lever arm l5, having one end which extends both longitudinally and in laterally opposite directions to provide a finger-engageable head 16, while in the opposite direction said arm is deflected angularly 45 downwardly to form a support Ili which extends thru a suitably positioned aperture 11, in the supporting wall 4, and thence again angularly to provide an anchorage section l8, which in turn is secured to the inner or under surface of 50 said supporting wall by any suitable eyelet, rivet,

. tack, or the like, I9. The lever 15 is also preferlever arm, while adjacent to its forward portion said arm is provided with a depending extension 2!, which may comprise an integrally mounted tongue or similar downwardly struck portion of said arm, said extension projecting freely thru an aperture 22 in the supporting wall 4, said aperture being so positioned above the cricket tongue i3, that said extension 2| will be in alignment with said tongue, and thereby operative to deflect said tongue downwardly, as hereinbefore described, upon the head N5 of said lever arm being manually depressed into the dot-and-dash position 23.

It is to be understood, that while a substantially closed hollow support such as the device hereinbefore described, possesses numerous advantages, such as sound characteristics including resonance, timbre, and the like, which may be made to improve and under certain cases intensify the sound normally emitted from an inclosed cricket, such support is but representative of the many types which might be employed for this purpose. The type of cricket shown is similarly not essential, other than that it operatively supports a yieldingly positioned resilient soundproducing tongue. The exact type or shape of lever arm is also unimportant, except that it provides an inexpensive yet highly resiliently positioned actuating means for the cricket tongue.

Furthermore, while the resiliency of said tongue is suflicient to lift and return the lever arm to normal position following its being depressed, by suitably corrugating or otherwise treating the lever arm, the latter automatically rises upon being released after having been manually depressed, as hereinbef-ore described, thus leaving the cricket tongue free to snap back into its normal upper position, without its character istic sound producing vibrations being damped by contact with the arm projection 2!, since it is characteristic of this device that the upward or return movement of said key extension precedes that of the cricket tongue, even tho by a very small fraction of a second.

Having thus described my invention What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:-

l. An article of the type described, comprising a hollow support, a staccato sound-producing device carried by and within said support, and a yieldingly positioned element carried by and manually engageable outside of said support, and provided with an extension which cooperates with and is adapted to actuate said device.

2. An article of the type described, comprising a hollow resonant sound amplifying support, a staccato sound-producing device carried by and within said support, and an element also carried by said support and having a manually engageable portion outside of said support, and an extension projecting into cooperative relation with said device, to cause said device to create its characteristic sound upon the actuation of said element.

3. An article of the type described, comprising a support, a sound producing device carried by and upon one side of said support, a resilient lever arm carried by and mainly positioned upon the opposite side of said support, one end portion of said arm being fixedly secured to said support, and an integral extension of said arm projecting towards and cooperating with said sound producing device.

4. An article of the type described, comprising a support, a device adapted to produce a sound simulating a telegraphic receiver carried by said support, a flexible lever arm having one end fixedly secured to said support and another portion in substantially parallel relation to said support, means to increase the resiliency of the parallel portion of said arm, and an integral extension from said arm cooperating with said device, to actuate said device upon the depression of said arm.

5. An article of the type described, comprising a support having a wall, a device adapted to produce a sound simulating a telegraphic receiver carried by said support, an actuating arm comprising one end portion which extends thru and is secured to the opposite side of an adjacent supporting wall, and a manually movable free end portion having an extension also projecting freely thru said supporting Wall and cooperating with said device, to actuate said device upon the depression of said arm.

6. An article of the type described, comprising a support having a wall, a device adapted to produce a sound simulating a telegraphic receiver carried by said support, an actuating arm comprising one end portion which extends thru and is secured to the opposite side of an adjacent supporting wall, a manually movable free end portion having an extension also projecting thru said supporting wall and cooperating with said device, to actuate said device upon the depression of said arm, and means to increase the resiliency of said arm, to positively return the free end of the same away from said device, upon being released following its being manually depressed.

EDWARD M. KELLEY. 

